Touching, very touching.
However, I couldn't help wondering how that scene would play out in our house.
I know exactly how it would go. It would end up with me complaining about yet another disposable plastic toy that will only get about 3 minutes of play time. It's happened before ... I'm sure it will happen again.
I don't like sounding like a broken record but my kids know how I feel about plastic .... no matter how small it is. I've talked to them about the negative impact plastic has on the environment and they know all about the massive islands of floating plastic in the oceans. I haven't banned them from having plastic but I certainly want them to think about what they purchase that contains plastic. I challenge them to consider whether they really 'need' something made of plastic or if they can find a non-plastic alternative .... even if it may be more expensive.
For example, the last time this topic came up was last week when the kids were looking at a Walmart Christmas flyer. When they showed me their choices I couldn't help sighing and asking them if we could have a plastic free Christmas this year. At the very least I asked them not to get me anything that has any plastic in it .... including the packaging.
It's tough being a kid. The plastic toys are so cool and everyone has them. Heck, we have a lot of them ourselves. But I still believe it's important to challenge the kids to think before they bring more plastic into our home. It may not sink in immediately but I think it will be in the back of their mind for the rest of their lives .... now that's a memory I really want them to keep.
Now I still use plastic myself, unfortunately. I even wrote about using plastic wrap in my olive oil cracker recipe a few blog posts ago. I struggled with that at the time but I decided to leave it in the directions. In hind sight I should have used a resealable container. As the kids say .... "My bad".
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